Objective Morality

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Transcript of Objective Morality

Side B Craig's Religion-Based Morality NO Craig's argument 1. If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist.2. Objective Moral values do exist.3. Therefore, God exists. Sinnott-Armstrong's View YES Sinnott-Armstrong's Response S-A rejects premise 1, and accepts premise 2.-Morality can be objective, even though people's views about it are subjective. (like science)-"What makes rape immoral?" The fact that it hurts the victim.-What is immoral about causing harm? It is just wrong.-The notion of justice does not exist apart from people If God does not exist, do objective moral values exist? Side A Moral Realism Moral Realism Moral facts existThey are part of the fabric of the universeThey exist independently of our thoughts about themThey have objective validityThey do not need societal approval

Moral PrinciplesCan be evaluated as right or wrongYou can think about a situation and determine what is the right thing and what is the wrong thing

Moral Facts Exist in realityBeyond what we can observe with our senses Moral Relativism 1. There are a lot of disputes about what is right and wrong across people and societies (descriptive moral relativism)

2. The truth or falsity of moral judgements is not absolute. There is no absolute right or wrong (meta-ethical moral relativism)

1 is not the same as 2What would it mean for 1 to right and 2 to be wrong? Question How does Craig defend 1? How does Craig defend 2? Premise 2 We know objective values exist because we clearly apprehend some of them."describe moral situations in which we clearly see right and wrong: torturing a child, incest, rape, ethnic cleansing," etc

Introduced notion of a moral handicap (like a color-blind person) Premise 2 the alternative is "incomprehensible"-What does it mean for a moral value like 'justice' to just exist?-How would the existence of 'justice' obligate me to do anything?-Crazy coincidence that evolution would result in beings that understand moral facts.-What makes rape wrong if not God? A Further Problem with Craig The Euthyphro Problem A quick note about relativism Not all moral codes are equal. Can have acts that are right or wrong according to a group or society. If you join that group or society, you are to follow those rules. But none of them are objectively true.